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Health Literacy, Mental Health,and Adolescents

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Handbook of Adolescent Health Psychology

Abstract

Health literacy is a growing field with an increasing amount of research being conducted. Given the increasing attention to this topic it is surprising that there has been little research focused on adolescents (Manganello, Health Education Research, 23(5):840–847, 2008). There is also a paucity of research in the USA about health literacy and mental health, and almost no research in this area specific to adolescents. This chapter will address the intersection of health literacy and mental health, including mental health literacy, with a focus on adolescents. We will give a summary of definitions of health literacy and mental health literacy, and provide a brief overview of research that has focused on both health literacy, including its relationship to mental health outcomes, and mental health literacy. We will highlight research in these areas that has been conducted with adolescents, and propose ideas for future work.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A detailed overview of the history of research and policy related to health literacy can be found in Parker and Ratzan (2010) (Parker & Ratzan, 2010).

  2. 2.

    Two papers provide a useful discussion of health literacy definitions (Berkman, Davis, & McCormack, 2010; Peerson & Saunders, 2009).

  3. 3.

     For more information on measurement, see a recent report from the Institute of Medicine (Hernandez, 2009).

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mark Duheme for his assistance with the literature review for this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, University at Albany School of Public Health, One University Place, #165, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA

    Jennifer A. Manganello Ph.D., M.P.H.

  2. Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 1960 East-West Road, Biomed D104G, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Tetine Sentell Ph.D.

  3. Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71130, USA

    Terry C. Davis Ph.D.

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  1. Jennifer A. Manganello Ph.D., M.P.H.
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  2. Tetine Sentell Ph.D.
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  3. Terry C. Davis Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer A. Manganello Ph.D., M.P.H. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, MS 0296, Reno, 89557-0062, New York, USA

    William T. O'Donohue

  2. , Department of Psychology, MS 0296, University of Nevada, Reno, North Virginia Street, Reno, 89557, Nevada, USA

    Lorraine T. Benuto

  3. , Integration Services, Aurora Mental Health Center, 11059 East Bethany Drive, Suite 105, Aurora, 80014, Colorado, USA

    Lauren Woodward Tolle

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Manganello, J.A., Sentell, T., Davis, T.C. (2013). Health Literacy, Mental Health,and Adolescents. In: O'Donohue, W., Benuto, L., Woodward Tolle, L. (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Health Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6633-8_10

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